Why Bernauerstrasse is the best street in Berlin
Bernauerstrasse is the best street in Berlin because it is home to the Berlin Wall Memorial – an open air memorial along the former path of the Wall.
Where is Bernauerstrasse?
Bernauerstrasse is a street in Berlin. It runs from the Mauerpark in the Prenzlauerberg district to the Nordbahnhof Station. It is home to the open air Berlin Wall Memorial.
4 best things to do in Berlin
The best things to do in Berlin include…
- Berlin walking tours – pick the ones on specific topics to get the best experience.
- Sachsenhausen concentration camp tours – led by an expert historian.
- See the city highlights on a three hour bike tour.
- Learn about life in the former East Germany at the DDR Museum.
Walking along Bernauerstrasse: The two Berlin Walls
Of the misconceptions about the Berlin Wall, the biggest is that there was just one of them. The reality is best seen along Bernauerstrasse, where the cobblestones swing a sharp right. Here, some original sections stand, but they’re complimented by rusty iron poles marking the path.
Walking along, it becomes strikingly clear that there was one wall along the border, and another slightly further into East German territory. What lay in the middle was strictly the preserve of savage dogs, barbed wire, mines and snipers bullets coming from the watchtowers.
The erection of the Berlin Wall
What started as a barbed wire fence erected around West Berlin overnight on August 13th 1961 became an increasingly sophisticated barrier. For 28 years, the Wall’s purpose was to stop the flood East Germans escaping to the west.
West Berlin was a capitalist island inside the questionably named German Democratic Republic, but as long as East Germans could set foot on that island, they could emigrate to the west and have freedom to travel as they pleased.
Berlin Wall Memorial displays
Displays on posts along Bernauerstrasse tell the tales of those who attempted to get out. Among them are photographs of people dangling from third story apartments, hoping to be caught by firemen’s nets on the other side, and an East German soldier making a run for it while his colleagues have their guard down.
The street is like a walk-through museum, telling tales of divided families and people who could look out of their window, able to see freedom but not reach it. At vantage points, many could do little but make informal appointments to wave at loved ones from the other side of the Wall.
More Berlin travel
Australia to Berlin flights | Bearpit Karaoke | Berlin Wall canoe tours | Food tour by bike | Things to do in Mitte | Things to do in West Berlin.